What have been some benefits of CFK Resources?
We found a private therapist who worked with us in our home to prepare
my daughter for her IEP evaluation. The therapist also went to the IEP
meeting with us. In addition, it was nice to find other parents in
similar situations. I use the CFK website to find out about upcoming
programs.

The best way I asked for support was...
Almost from the time she was born, I used to call my daughter's
pediatrician weekly to report her constant crying. I even tried
researching ʺcrying disordersʺ, certain that my daughter had one. Her
crying was repeatedly dismissed and I was told it was most likely due to
gas, reflux, etc. But I'd had a reflux baby (my son) and I knew that my
daughter's crying was different. At her 2-year-old well check, she was
crying through the whole 30 minute appointment. When the check-up was
over, I refused to leave the room until my pediatrician addressed the
crying. I insisted on staying so she could see firsthand how long it
lasted. Finally, after sitting there with my non-stop crying toddler for
90 minutes, the pediatrician came back in and said, ʺOkay, she
shouldn't be crying for this long, there might be something going on.ʺ I
felt like someone had finally thrown me a life vest after I'd been
treading water for a year! In my gut I knew there was something wrong,
and I got to the point where I quit asking for support, and basically
demanded it!

The hardest thing for me to learn was...
Realizing the way I'd always parented my first child, my son, wasn't
going to work for my daughter. I was going to have to use different
parenting styles for each child. When my son asked for something I
didn't want him to have, I could just say ʺnoʺ and he accepted it. But
with my daughter, who had been diagnosed with sensory issues
(particularly auditory), I needed to communicate differently. I'd hold
up a red piece of paper, which was my way of non-verbally telling her
ʺnoʺ so not to trigger a meltdown. With my son, I could frantically run
into the room and say, ʺCome on we have to go. Get your shoes on!ʺ But
with my daughter, who developed anxiety as a result of her sensory
issues, I had to go through several, time-consuming steps to prepare her
for any kind of transition, whether it was leaving the house to go
somewhere, stopping play to come eat, going upstairs for the bedtime
routine, etc. Parenting my son was easy because I didn't have to think
about it. Parenting my daughter, however, was a methodical, unnatural
process. It felt like walking on egg shells and if I dropped the ball
for even a second, it often resulted in a three hour meltdown. Although
this was a challenge for me, the support and education I received
through CFK and our therapist was ultimately very beneficial to my
daughter and our family.

Is there anything else about your journey that you would like to share?
I've always said to people who seem skeptical/ashamed about seeking
help for a child who needs extra support, "If my son needed help with
his curve ball, I wouldn't think twice about signing him up for pitching
lessons. So when my daughter needed help with her social behavior,
anxiety, etc, I didn't think twice about getting her some extra help!"
The early intervention I sought for my daughter has helped turn her into
a thriving and successful Kindergartener who has overcome her sensory
and anxiety issues.

Michele is the parent of two children.

Faces of Connecting for Kids (CFK) is a monthly feature that appears in our subscribers-only eNewsletter. The parents profiled in Faces of CFK have provided their information to help others walking a similar path to know that they are not alone. If you are interested in providing your own profile for a Faces of CFK feature, please complete this form.